TODAY’S CHALLENGES

Out of the frying pan

By Russ Lawson

Have you ever heard the saying: “Out of the frying pan and into the fire?”

The Italian author Laurentius Abstemius wrote a collection of 100 fables. Abstemius’ fable 20, concerns some fish thrown live into a frying pan of boiling fat. One of them urges its fellows to save their lives by jumping out, but when they do so they fall into the burning coals and curse its bad advice.

The fabulist concludes: ‘This fable warns us that when we are avoiding present dangers, we should not fall into even worse peril.’ Is there a spiritual application to this? I believe there is!

To start with Solomon tells us in Proverbs 27:12 “A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.”

What is a phrase we might uses to explain this thought to someone: “Look before you leap” or “You wouldn’t jump off a cliff, just because your friends do, would you?”

The question we might ask is “What are spiritual cliffs that folks jump off of today?”

Sometimes they involve sin, sometimes they involve relationships, sometimes they just involve making bad decisions and sometimes our cliffs involve facing challenges…Sometimes your life challenge feels like you have gone from the frying pan into the fire……

So what has been your cliff, your challenge? Is it physically or spiritually, and how do you handle it?

Let me make a suggestion for handling difficult things in your life. One of my favorite passages is Romans 8:28: Paul writes there: “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.”

Let me give you the “Russ Revised Version” of is verse: “Do your best to serve God, love him and no matter how badly you mess things up, God will be able to make something good come from it.” Even if you don’t see it or understand it, God has the power to work it to the good!

So it may seem that you have gone from the frying pan into the fire, but don’t forget to trust in Him, Our God and King.

That’s why Psalm 23:1-6 is so dear to so many of us. It reminds us of who is in control of our world and our life. David wrote: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

Russ Lawson is a volunteer citizen columnist, who serves The Daily Advocate readers weekly with his column Today’s Challenges. He is the Director of World Christian Literature Outreach and can be reached at rlawson@wclo.net. Viewpoints expressed in the article are the work of the author. The Daily Advocate does not endorse these viewpoints or the independent activities of the author.

Russ Lawson is a volunteer citizen columnist, who serves The Daily Advocate readers weekly with his column Today’s Challenges. He is the Director of World Christian Literature Outreach and can be reached at rlawson@wclo.net. Viewpoints expressed in the article are the work of the author. The Daily Advocate does not endorse these viewpoints or the independent activities of the author.